Race Weekend Central

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2020 Quaker State 400

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who… should you be talking about after the race? Cole Custer showed he had the chops to do what it took to win at the Cup level. For Custer, equipment has never been an issue, but his mostly lackluster start to the year raised questions. He put those to rest with an aggressive move to …

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Cole Custer Goes 4-Wide, Earns 1st Cup Series Win at Kentucky

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

With one lap to go in the Quaker State 400 and a three-way race for the lead in front of him, an opportunity was in front of NASCAR Cup Series rookie Cole Custer at Kentucky Speedway.   Custer took it and turned it into his first career win in NASCAR’s top series, getting past Kevin Harvick, …

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Daily Fantasy NASCAR FanDuel Forecast: 2020 Quaker State 400

2019 Kentucky MENCS Chase Elliott Car Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

This weekend marks the 10th NASCAR Cup Series race at the Kentucky Motor Speedway, still the newest facility on the Cup schedule with the exception of the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. This weekend also marks the 20th anniversary of the speedway’s opening. While Kentucky seems like a natural location for a Cup race, in reality, …

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Did You Notice?: NASCAR PPP Loans a Reminder of Potential COVID-19 Catastrophe

2019 Phoenix I CUP Ty Dillon Richard Childress NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice? … The number of NASCAR teams approved for a loan under the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program? The NASCAR PPP loans numbered in the millions and involved one-third of the teams on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit. For now, let’s focus on the Cup programs alone. Richard Childress Racing: $5-$10 million (2 teams) Chip …

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Power Rankings: Back Home Again in Rain Delay Mode Edition

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The folks at NASCAR are really quick to point out that their television partners get to pick the window that the race gets broadcast in. But maybe it’s time for the “experts” on holding a race to have a little talk with the television people. Through most of its history, NASCAR never got a race …

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5 Points to Ponder: A Long Way to Go

2020 Indy Indianapolis NASCAR Cup pack racing NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Harvick vs Hamlin. The Big Three. Blah Blah Blah. Back in 2018, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. were a triple threat all season long. So much so that they picked up a moniker – the Big Three. The triumvirate accounted for a remarkable 20 of the 36 wins, but it was Joey …

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Power Rankings: Twice as Much What Edition

2020MartinsvilleNCSKevinHarvickFaceNASCARMedia

(Photo: NASCAR Media/Getty Images)

The old joke about Pocono Raceway was easy to make, “Why are the races just six weeks apart? So once you clear traffic and make it onto the interstate, you can turn around and head back for the second race!” Thankfully due to great management improvements and coordination between the track and local police over …

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Reel Racing: ‘Days of Thunder,’ 30 Years Later

2009 Daytona NSCS Tom Cruise Face NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Thirty years ago this Saturday, a little movie called Days of Thunder premiered on Wednesday, June 27 at theaters across the country. Its only new competition at the box office was the forgettable Ghost Dad, as well as – notably – the action-packed Arnold Schwarzenegger feature Total Recall and the star-filled Dick Tracy. The latter …

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Power Rankings: Dega Worth the Wait Edition

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It was yet another long week for NASCAR, but this time it was not only weather that was the culprit. A case of mistaken identity when a knot wasn’t just a knot and was thought to be a noose led to an emotional Sunday (June 21) which was quickly doused by rain. The next day …

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Power Rankings: 7 Hours of Miami Edition

2020HomesteadNCSRacingNASCARMedia(2)

(Photo: NASCAR Media/Getty Images)

It was a long week for NASCAR, but can someone tell me how an organization that makes Florida its home can think that scheduling a race at 3:30 p.m. ET in the middle of June is going to work in South Florida? I understand that television partners often make the call, but even they should …

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Daily Fantasy NASCAR FanDuel Forecast: 2020 Blue-Emu 500

2020CharlotteNCSKyleBuschFaceNASCARMedia

(Photo: NASCAR Media/Getty Images)

The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway was held in 1949, the series’ inaugural season. Red Byron, NASCAR’s first champion, won the event with a face covered in the red clay dust that made up the track’s surface. 71 years later, Martinsville will host its 143rd Cup race on Wednesday, June 10, and …

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Power Rankings: Hotlanta Edition

2020AtlantaNCSKevinHarvickCheckersNASCARMedia

(Photo: NASCAR Media/Getty Images)

One thing we can say about last Sunday’s (June 7) race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is that it will be most remembered for what happened during pre-race. But it would have been impossible to create a race more memorable than the words and imagery we saw from NASCAR over the weekend. While I have always …

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